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Assurance Home is about family
Cid Standifer
Record Staff Writer - Roswell Daily Record
December 23, 2008
 Teenagers at the Assurance Home check out a 1971 Lincoln Continental that was recently donated by a benefactor who wishes to remain anonymous. (Mark Wilson Photo)
At the Assurance Home in Roswell, though, there are 14 kids who won't be going home for Christmas. Of the home's 19 residents, all teenagers in need of a stable home, only five will be able to see relatives this week. The rest will spend the holidays with each other.
But for many of the kids, that's not a bad thing.
"For most of our children, this will be the best Christmas that they've ever had," said Executive Director Ron Malone.
The home is there for kids who are in desperate need of support. Some have suffered the death of their parents, or lost them to the prison system, and some have been homeless. Others come from severely abusive families.
"We have other kids who've never felt safe at Christmas," Malone added.
One resident, Devin, 17, says that this will be the only Christmas he can remember celebrating.
"We really didn't have Christmas," he said of his family. "It's just, we really never celebrated it."
He said part of the reason may have been that his family could never afford gifts. When he was 9, he was taken into custody by the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department, which wasn't big on Christmas either, so all of the holiday activities this year have been new to him.
On Sunday, a motorcycle club rode out to the home bearing gifts. Malone says the parking lot was filled with about 100 bikes, and the teenagers could have their pictures taken with them. The next night, all the residents were invited to dinner at the Cattle Baron.
"Everything the community does makes our kids feel very special," said Malone.
And presents from the community are rolling in. As Malone spoke, one young man ran into the room, all of his fingers stuck in finger traps sent as gifts. Upstairs, a group of the residents were busy writing thank-you cards to St. Mark's Lutheran Church, which sent stockings stuffed with candy, toys and gift cards. A resident named Dillon said he'd written 15 thank-you notes already.
So many notes can get to be a lot of work.
"But it's worth it," said a young woman named Stephanie.
Devin said he normally hates writing, but this year, writing thank-you notes has been his favorite part of the holiday.
Dozens of Christmas cards from all over the country are hanging on the walls. Malone says that every day when they come home from school, all of the teenagers are eager to see the cards they've gotten in the mail.
And while the average teenager might think they're too old to write to Santa, many of the Assurance Home residents penned their first letter to St. Nick this year.
"Christmas morning, every kid will have a present under the tree of something that they really want," said Malone.
Devin said he ended up asking Santa for a Nintendo DS.
"I asked for a guitar," he laughed, "but it was over his budget."
Oriana, another resident, said her family is no stranger to Christmas, but she gets a thrill out of seeing the kids who have never had one before. At this point, she has the choice of going home, but she decided to stay on through the holidays.
"I made a family here, too, so I decided I can try something new," she said.
For kids who want to go home, but can't, it's harder.
"My mom always said it's not about gifts during Christmas," said Dillon, who has been at the Assurance Home for eight months, as he wrote thank-you notes. "It's about spending time with your family. I see that now."
Dillon said he misses his mom, and hopes he can visit her soon after the holidays. In the meantime, he's relying on the other people at Assurance Home to celebrate Christmas with him.
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